12 Manis of Christmas: Snowflakes!

Hello lovelies!

I'm back today with another wintery mani :)  This time I chose to do snowflakes...

 Colors Used: Milani - Blue Zoom, White Acrylic Paint

I started with my cobalt base (2 coats) and then, once it dried, I took a detail brush and painted snowflakes with white acrylic paint.

 I looked at some illustrations of snowflakes via Google Images and then just sort of went for it haha.  I used a small dotting tool for my polka dots and then I top coated with OPI Matte Top Coat so that all of the details would pop.

Yay snowflakes!

Two manis down, ten more to go!

Until next time!

Stef <3

I Survived Black Friday!!

Hello lovelies!

Today I thought I would share the mani that I wore while "Black Friday" shopping.  My inspiration?  The crazy expletives I heard when my husband and I made the mistake of stopping by Wal-Mart on our way home from Thanksgiving dinner.  We just wanted to pick up a bag of hay for our baby bunny and what we got... mass chaos!  So, when we finally got home, I blacked out my nails and started to doodle...

 Colors Used: KBShimmer - Eclipse, White Acrylic Paint, OPI - Matte Top Coat

This was a pretty simple one.  I started with 2 coats of Eclipse and then with a detail brush, I painted my symbols with white acrylic paint.  Looking at a keyboard definitely helped haha.

I top coated with OPI's Matte Topcoat and that's it!

I'm a survivor!

On the plus side, I scored awesome deals on a sound bar, flannel sheets and a big fluffy bath robe.  Black Friday rocks!  Did you happen to catch any sales?  Or did you stay home like a sane person?

Until next time!

Stef <3

Moroccan Tile Nial Art

Hello loves!

Tonight's late night mani was inspired be the oh-so-fabulous Jessica of @lalalovenailart.  I've had the pleasure of meeting Jessica in person and she is just awesome :)  She created this look back in August and I've kept it lingering in the back of my mind as a must-do.  I finally got around to it last week...

 Colors Used - She Nail Polish - Dirty Red, Salon Perfect - Oil Slick, Acrylic Paint, Mentality Matte Top Coat

Jessica got inspired by some Moroccan tile she saw on the internet when she did her mani and I loved it.  I ended up choosing a color palette that gave this look a darker, more Gothic tone... but it still works right? ;)

I started with 2 coats each of my base colors and then with acrylic paint, I free-handed my pattern.  Using top coat and a dotting tool I applied my studs and then everything got topped with Mentality Polish Matte Top Coat.

I think I love this one <3

I hope you (in the States) have an amazing Thanksgiving!  I plan on gaining 10 pounds lol.

Until next time!

Stef <3

A Spotted Bordeaux

Hello dolls!

I hope you all are enjoying a fantabulous weekend!  I was so excited that it finally got cool enough to feel like Fall last weekend and today... we're back to 90 degree weather.  I'm so mad!!  but, I'm not going to let the weather keep me down.  For today's mani I have a simple nail art look inspired by my new favorite color for this season, wine/burgundy...

 Colors Used: Revlon Parfumerie - Bordeaux, Julep - Felicity

I know that nude is the it color for Fall for 2014, but forget that noise.  I need color!!  So I decided I need to pick my own color for the season and this is what I went with ;)

 I started with 2 coats of Bordeaux which, when dry, smells of deep berry yumminess.  I then topped it with Mentality's Matte top Coat.  Once it dried, I took a dotting tool and applied Felicity and that's it!

Fall has arrived, even if California refuses to accept it!!  :P

If I get more time to myself, I will put together a SAFS post., otherwise I will be back next week with some more nail art...

Until next time!

Stef <3

Skele-tons Of Skele-fun!

Hello lovlies!

I changed my mind since yesterday.  I am NOT over the Halloween manis lol.  I was just lacking inspiration, but then out of the blue yesterday I decided I wanted to try skulls.  Executing this thought in my head was more difficult than I thought, but once I figured it out it was a cinch.

 

 Colors Used: Mentality - Tempest, Sally Hansen - White On, Acrylic Paint

I started with my matte base color, Tempest.  This beauty only needs one coat; it's my favorite of my Mentality collection ;)  I then took the end of a nail art brush (because I don't have a dotting tool this large) and placed large white dots on my nails.

I then took a detail brush and applied white stripes (with acrylic paint because it's easier to work with) for the jaws.  I straightened out the jaws with a swipe of Tempest across their bottoms and topped with Mentality Matte Top Coat.

 "You wanna know why skeletons are so calm?  Because nothing gets under their skin!" Ba-dum-bum!

I really really love the way these turned out!  But... I am now uninspired again hahaha.  Any suggestions???

Until next time!

Stef <3

Dr. Frankenstein's Handiwork

Hello dolls!

I've got a mid-week Halloween mani for you featuring an brand-new favorite polish to my collection...

 Colors Used: China Glaze - But Of Corpse, Acrylic Paint

I am sooooo in love with this polish!  It's a pearly olive green with black micro glitter that dries to a matte and slightly textured finish.  It's amazing!!

 I applied 2 coats of this beauty and thought, "This is exactly the kind of skin Frankenstein's monster would have!".  So I then took some acrylic paint and with a striping brush, I applied some stitches.  No top coat was necessary for this one :)

I think Dr. Fankenstein would be proud :P

Have any of you gotten into the spooky spirit?  Are you sick of my Halloween manis yet??  Muahahahaha....

Until next time!

Stef <3

I'm Ready for Fall!

Hello lovelies!

I have a quick post for you this evening :)  I made the mistake of going in to Bath & Body Works today and they have all of there new Fall products on display... *sigh*... it was glorious.  So now I am desperately longing for the seasons to change.  I want cool air, changing leaves... I want to wear some boots! 

A big theme with their decor items is squirrels.  I don't know why, but squirrels.  I decided to do some cute acorns (inspired by Lacq Lustre)...

 Colors Used: Love & Beauty - Beige, Acrylic Paints, Mentality - Matte Top Coat

I'm still practicing with acrylic paints and while these didn't turn out as flawlessly as I would have liked, I do think they're pretty cute :P

 I started with my beige base and let it dry (I actually went to work and then when I got home, I continued my nail art-ing haha.  Anybody else ever do that?).  I then used a nail art brush and acrylic paints to paint the acorns.  Lastly, I applied a generous matte top coat (Mentality Polish Matte Topper which is my fave!)...

It's growing on me haha...

I hope you all have had a wonderful week!  I now must dash off...

Until next time!

Stef <3

Forrest at Twilight

Hello dolls!

So, I was sitting around yesterday trying to find some nailspiration and nothing was coming to mind.  I looked outside my window and the clouds were an array of purples, pinks and oranges.  I decided I would do a twilight gradient...

 Colors Used: Revlon Parfumerie - Wild Violets, Love & Beauty - Purple, China Glaze - Peonies & Park Ave, American Apparel - Manila, Black and White Acrylic Paint, Mentality - Matte Top Coat

This is one of those rare times where I'm wearing what I'm posting haha.  I can't stop staring at my hands!

I started with a white base of Sally Hansen White On, just one coat so that it would dry quickly.  I then layered my 4 polished on a make-up sponge and dabbed away.  After I cleaned up that whole mess, I painted some pine trees with black acrylic painy (my nerd of a husband said, "Oh! You painted confiers!").  I dotted the stars with some white acrylic paint.  I topped it all off with Mentality's Matte Top Coat and tada!

Makes me wanna go camping!

I think it's time for a nap, looking at these makes me sleepy.  It could also be the eucalyptus-mint candle that I've got burning haha...

Until next time!

Stef <3

Kiss Nail Dress - Comic Nail Strips

Hello lovelies!

Today I have a mani featuring some nail strips that I found while I was out shopping a couple of weeks ago...

 

A new trend that I'm seeing with this particular brand is that they're offering both full nail and french tip strips in the packaging.  I think it's a cool concept :)

 

Application of these strips is very simple.  You don't need a base coat (although I always use one), just make sure your nails are clean.  Match the right sized strip to you your nail and then peel it from the plastic sheeting and apply.  I recommend using a cuticle stick/pusher to press down the edges.  Fold the strip down and file away the excess.  That is the end of Kiss's instructions, but I always add top coat at the end to secure my free edges ;)  This time around I used a my favorite matte top coat from Mentality Nail Polish.

Kapow!!

I love nail strips because they make it easy to do a fun mani when you're short on time (which is happening to me more and more as of late haha).  These strips are supposed to last a week but I only had them on for a couple of days.  Looking for strips with more staying power?  Stay tuned in ;)

Until next time!

Stef <3

Speckled Spring Eggs

Hello dolls!

Long time, no see!  I hope all is well in the nail blog neighborhood ;)  Today I have some simple nail art that I did to get into the full swing of Spring...

Colors Used: Sally Hansen (Insta-Dri) - Blue Away, Julep - Carrie and Blake, Sally Hansen (Xtreme Wear) - Lacey Lilac and Mint Sorbet, Sinful Colors - Nirvana

I love love love doing speckled skittle mani's!  It's easy nail art that's cheerful and fun :D

I started with my mix of pastel colors as my base.  I then added a smattering of brown dots using a small dotting tool.  Lastly I topped it with Mentality Polish's matte top coat (a new favorite!)...

Super easy!

As I mentioned last night on Instagram, life has just been really busy so I had to put blogging on the back burner for a bit.  My plan is to have scheduled posts from here on out; I'm hoping I can keep with it lol.

Until next time!

Stef <3

I'm Feelin' Cheesy

Hello dolls,

Today I decided to be adventurous and try out s mani that I saw from the always awesome Christabell Nails!  I saw her mani on IG and she had mentioned also having a video tutorial so I figured it was worth a shot haha...

 Colors Used: Sally Hansen - Lightening, OPI - The "It" Color, Julep - Blake

I friggin' love the way this turned out!  I just think it's super cute :)

I followed Christabell's easy-to-follow instructions and it really was a cinch!  I top coated with my new favorite matte topper from Mentality.  They seriously make the best matte polishes... ever... for reals.

 

Eep!

To find out how this look is achieved, check out the video link above!  I hope you all have a fabulous day :D

Until next time!

Stef <3

Naughty Nails?

Good morning, dolls!

It's been a crazy couple of days for me (and from the sounds of it, it's only going to get crazier)!  It's the reason i have been unable to post... or do my nails... *sigh*.  So , I'm pulling one out of the vault for you today :)

 Colors Used: Sinful Colors - Whipped and Nirvana, OPI - Goldeneye

This is a really basic mani that I ended up loving a lot.  I'm not a huge fan of animal prints in general, but I've made the exception for nail arting because it's pretty cool lol.  This mix of print and "leather" does feel a bit wild/risque to me ;)

I started with Whipped, which is from the SC Leather Luxe collection.  It is my favorite black matte polish... ever.  Loves it so much!  Anywhosy, there's 2 coats of Whipped applied.  For my ring finger, I did 3 coats of Goldeneye over a gold base.  i then used my dotting tool and striping brush to create my print.  The gold stud was an after-thought and it was applied with a dab of nail glue :)

Rawr!

I hope all is well and I'm sending out virtual hugs :D

Until next time!

Stef <3

October Nail Art Society Box

Good morning, dolls!

Today I want to share a new-to-me subscription box that I've signed up for.  It's called Nail Art Society...

 

 Colors Used: Jessica - Black Matte, Love & Beauty - Purple, Zoya - Morgan, Orly - Mayhem Mentality

So, Nail Art Society is designed to send out all of the materials you need to create some pre-designed mani's.  It comes with an instructional card that includes a bio of the nail artist that created that month's design.  Pretty cool right?

My ring finger follows the design pattern for October, but I decided to do some sponging and stickering on my middle finger.  The sticker turned out to be super bumpy and obnoxious, so you only get 2 pic today lol.

 I really love the studs that came in the box.  The matte polish isn't my favorite (not flat enough for me :\).  My biggest issue is that I didn't receive my box until a week into November (even tho I ordered it on the 1st of Oct.).  This was after a SECOND payment got taken out of my account for the month of November.  2 payments and no boxes makes me a cranky lady. 

 I'm hoping to have a more positive experience with this in the future.  A lot of my fellow nail bloggers that I love are on their team of "Expert Nail Artists".

Do any of you receive NAS boxes?  How have your experiences been?

Until next time!

Stef <3